Just 22% of social housing tenants believe their landlord cares about them or their family, according to the Big Tenant Survey.
Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

Only a third of social housing tenants are satisfied their landlord listens to them, while little more than a fifth (22%) believe their landlord cares about them and their family, a survey has revealed.

Tenants in the north west were most satisfied with their social landlords, with more than half saying they were happy with their level of service. Tenants in Northern Ireland and Greater London were the least happy, with only a third satisfied with their landlord.

Just 16% of London tenants would recommend their landlord to a friend or relative against a national average of 24%.

The survey also found a lack of understanding about how housing benefit is changing. Just 28% of tenants who receive housing benefit said they fully understood welfare reforms, while 4% mistakenly believe the reforms will not affect them.

Housing benefit will be soon be paid to tenants instead of straight to their landlords in one of the biggest housing benefit changes. The survey found that 42% of tenants were worried about their rent being paid directly into their bank account and 24% believed it would make it harder for them to budget.

“It is critical that landlords and government think deeply about the evident anxiety tenants have about receiving their rent directly,” the report warns.

The survey gathered responses from 61,000 social housing tenants.

The results show that landlords need to get to know their tenants better, said Richard Blundell, chief executive of Housing Partners, which conducted the survey.

“With housing benefits changes now on the horizon, good levels of trust a communication and proactivity between landlords and tenants are critical,” he said.